10 Incredibly Useful Mental Life Hacks

Do you ever wonder if there any hidden subconscious things that we all do, that if you were aware of them, you would be able to change or control any life situation much better? Well, it is something that has been running on my mind for a while.

After doing some online research on this subject, I found some valuable advice from reddit discussion thread. So I decided to compile the top advice given by other users on how to get the situational advantage. Check out these life hacks that will help you decode hidden messages people might be sending.

10 Life Hacks

1. When meeting people for the first time, take note of their eye color while flashing a good smile. It is probably because of you having to take a few more seconds to look at them in the eye but you might be surprises at how people are more responsive after that. It’s kind of like they feel more connected to you.

2. Give attention to a person’s feet. When approaching a group of people having a conversation, if you notice that they only turn their upper body without moving their feet to talk to you then that means they are not interested in having you in their conversation. Also, if you are talking to a work colleague who is seemingly paying attention to you but has his feet pointing to another direction then he wants to end the conversation. Book recommendation on this specific topic – Carol Kinset Goman’s “The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language”

3. Want to learn something new quickly? Well, teach a friend about it. Why does it work? Well, if you can teach something to someone then you probably know it very well.

4. Address people by their names. Everyone loves to be called by their names and this establishes rapport as well as trust right away.

5. Foot in the door concept. What this means is that a person will more likely do anything you want them to if you ask them to do simple and easy tasks at first. Gradual effort makes a person feel that you are fond of him or her.

6. If someone isn’t giving enough commitment in answering a question you’ve just asked, keep quiet and keep eye contact. They will most likely continue answering your question with more commitment.

7. Whenever you are in a situation that makes you nervous like a public speaking event or a bungee jumping session, simply chew a gum. I don’t know where exactly I have learned about it but if you are chewing something your brain will think that it is not in a dangerous situation since you won’t be chewing eating anything if you are in danger. This has helped me control my nervousness a couple of times.

8. You can prevent sidewalk shuffle by focusing your eyes in between people’s shoulder tops or heads in a group. This will show them which direction you are heading. People will usually create some space for you to pass through.

9. Assume everyone already likes you when you’re walking into a room or if you’re talking to people. This puts you in a more friendly and welcoming disposition, and people gravitate toward that. If you already have an “everyone hates me” mind-set, this can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as people can sense the negative vibes you’re throwing off.

10. If you ask a person to do something small for you, a mental process called cognitive dissonance will make it seem for him that he must like you because they did that small thing for you. (Ben Franklin)

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